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Be thou my Vision

"Avengers: Age of Ultron - The Vision" |
Art by
p1xer. Used with permission.

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There’s nothing science fiction loves more than a saviour.

All our favourite stories seem to depend on the chosen one who will come and defy the otherwise unconquerable odds, leading the good guys to a lasting victory against the dark and sinister group against whom they fight.

Never tell me the odds.

Sometimes these saviours are unlikely heroes, thrust into the spotlight, left to rely on a colourful cast of friends to survive the first two acts before discovering who they were meant to be all along.

Sometimes they emerge from the womb a certified badass and leave a trail of blood, brass and bodies behind them on their way into the heart of darkness.

No saviour ever made a difference without giving their life, literally or figuratively.

But every once in a while, a saviour is born into a story as an unexpected hero. A saviour like Vision.

Whether you believe the stories about him are true or not, Jesus—as a character—was the perfect and archetypical saviour. A poor child born connected to the king’s bloodline, but with no money or political power. He was nothing like the priests of the time wanted or expected, and in fact, Jesus basically told them they were doing everything wrong.

Replace first century Jerusalem with twenty-first century New York City, and Jewish priests with a murderous, all-knowing artificial intelligence, and Vision is Jesus.

He is created as a combination of the pinnacle of technological achievement, and the closest thing Tony Stark has to a son, Jarvis.

Ultron’s dream for Vision was as his right hand—a sword of judgement to be wielded from the throne over the world.

But when Vision awoke as the very embodiment of an Infinity Gem, he was something else entirely. He was the shield that would save humanity.

Vision wielding Thor’s hammer banishes any shadow of mistrust anyone might have of him; Thor makes it very clear that anyone worthy of wielding Mjolnir is worthy to protect one of the six most powerful things in the entire universe.

Every once in a while, a saviour is born into a story as an unexpected hero.

Ultron says Tony Stark wanted a saviour but got a slave instead. I don’t think he realizes just how right he is. If we got to pick our saviours, every story would end in destruction. Humanity has proven time and time again that we are incapable of knowing what is truly best for us.

“Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create avengers.”

So what makes Vision a saviour?

He sees a bigger picture than Tony Stark, Nick Fury or the rest of humanity. He’s willing to be the one to make the change and he’s willing to take full responsibility for it.

No saviour ever made a difference without giving their life, literally or figuratively.

From Captain Kirk to Commander Shepard, Jason's love for science fiction extends to the final frontier. When he's not geeking out, Jason can be found studying communications at Red River College in Winnipeg.

Hey now, I don’t think I took any “I am” out! I noticed that quote right away when I saw the movie too.

Jason Dueck

Thanks Josh! I loved that line too, and the reason I didn’t include a mention to that particular line here was I was trying to draw a parallel between the character archetypes of “saviour” and “hero” more than a direct comparison of Vision to Jesus. There were a lot of things I left out like that, like comparing him wielding Mjolnir to the breaking of the veil, and his “virgin” birth. Maybe there’s enough to write a whole separate piece…

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The nerd and geek community is often considered by society to be misfits and outcasts, those living on the fringes of society, and often a childhood stage to be left behind at adulthood. In reality geeks are the connoisseurs and fanatics of science fiction, fantasy, comics, anime, board games, video games, computers, and all the art and creativity that comes along with these things.

They are often the forward thinkers of our society, undeterred by what is perceived as impossible with full belief that it can be, it should be, and will be possible one day. We seek to be a holy sanctuary for these troubadours of society.